USC Morning Buzz: Behind The Scenes Takeaway From Spring Practice Week 1

USC football notes: Coach Steve Sarkisian might name starting quarterback in spring

If you quizzed the coaching staff behind the scenes, they would tell you how Cody Kessler learned the offense during Week 1 faster than quarterbacks at Washington. Perhaps the caveat is there were more plays at Washington because the quarterbacks were more athletic and could run more.

Remember I’ve previously mentioned the playbook got dumbed down a bit because of the lack of athleticism. The fact remains, however, that Kessler picked up what he was given quickly.

31 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Behind The Scenes Takeaway From Spring Practice Week 1

  1. I’m still wondering how Sark would incorporate “fast” offense with a relatively slow and quite immobile QB like Kessler. Yes, he’s the only one with experience, but it doesn’t take a genius to see he’s really antithetical to anything close to fast offense. Am I the only one who sees it this way?

    • Tom Brady runs a pretty good no-huddle( when he wants to) even though he is quite immobile. You can run a “fast” offense without a mobile QB, but then the QB should be able to make quick decisions and throws. That’s the big question with Kessler. Is he going to start playing better in the big games or is he going to stink it up like he did in the UCLA, ND and the second half of the Stanford game.

      • Stop plagiarizing my comments. 🙂

        You forgot the part about his ball placement beyond 20 yards does not compensate for his lack of velocity and tendency to throw late.

        • I am shocked. SUCCster’s plagiarizing superior analysis? This sort of activity is unheard of at SUCC: the 67th most reputable Univ. in the world for 2014.

          • Is there an institution whose acronym is SUCC? Which one is that? Your home study? lol. I do know what SUCLA stands for, though. lmao!!! So do you consider yourself the only bear that understands football among those hailing from the most dangerous campus in the whole US? Yeah, I thought so…LMAO!!!

        • Thanks for the link Ben. I don’t want to sound like I know the mechanics of QB’ing, but people who have studied QB’s throughout their life don’t really seem to know which QB’s will succeed and which ones won’t either. It just seems like a crapshoot most of the times.
          Watching Kessler last year, it just seemed like he couldn’t win back the momentum once USC had lost it. Good QB’s always seem to have a knack of doing that. So many of his throws seemed to be too high/ behind the receiver. Remember the ND game on our last drive, when he threw a difficult ball to Rogers(I think) on 3rd down and a high ball to Agholor(I think) on 4th down.
          I remember Mayock and another Fox analyst saying time and time again, Kessler missed the open TE because he was fixated on one receiver. You would think a guy with a lack of NFL measurables would make up for it with anticipation and accuracy. Maybe Kiffin screwed them all up. None of the 3 QB’s he had really prospered under his guidance. So, who knows.
          It does seem like Sark is infatuated with Kessler and Browne hasn’t wowed anybody(based on Scott’s reports), so we just have to hope Kessler improves. A running game and some semblance of an O line would go a long way.

    • I don’t believe it, a SUCC fan with FB common sense. Whether you like or not, RT, I totally agree with you.

  2. Kessler will be fine is this offense. He was a point guard in high school. Kiffin offense of 7 step drops and wait to get hit is gone. Now its all shot gun and seeing the play come to you.

  3. Scottie: you’ve stooped to a new low in manufacturing. “If you quizzed the coaching staff” means you did not interview them, but instead just pure speculation. Perhaps the entire playbook was not practiced the first three days of Spring ball and not that it was dumbed down because Kessler is not athletic enough. As Booyakasha correctly states, running a fast offense is not about the QB scrambling, but making quick decisions. Brady, Manning, Brees are successful NFL QBs with no more athleticism than Kessler.

      • Your Jar Jar Binks costume may be too simple for the judges at the Emerald City Comic Con Convention, Golly-Nerd.

    • The idiom “damning with faint praise” comes to mind here.
      Scott: Why not just complement Kessler’s rapid grasp of the offense and let it go?

    • Brady, Manning and Brees are coached by Super Bowl winning HC’s. Sark on the other hand, is essentially nothing more than a .500 HC in Div. 1 FB competition.

      • I know this might be a hard concept for you to understand, but having a Super Bowl winning coach doesn’t make the QB run faster or jump higher.

        • Now that was just downright nasty. SUCC de trop and I have bonded. He calls me ‘Lar Dog’ and I call him…

          (Sorry, Gina, the Emerging Platforms Director managing mobile, social media & data projects for the Los Angeles News Group, 86ed my no-no.). Guess Orwell had some merit afterall.

        • I don’t see the Kessler running Oregon’s or A& M’s or Stanford’s offense. B and B never run the ball option style, and M has his one foot nailed to the field. Speed kills Helen, that’s why Little Petey won a super Bowl. You think K is as athletic as Seattle’s QB. SUCC does have a QB who can run the hurry-up option but he weights only a $1.80, is a freshman not ready to confront Pac 12 competition. And oddly SUCC has recruited R. Town who is considered the best DROP BACK QB in the 2015 FB class. Why do that if the SUCC offense requires an athletic style QB. That Helen, is where the savvy, winner HC comes in. Sark seems to be modifying a Kia Rio to run NASCAR races. LOL.

          • If speed at the QB kills, then how many Super Bowls did guys like Michael Vick and RG3 win? Funny how the most successful Super Bowl QBs were butt slow – Joe Montana, Joe Roethlisberger, the Mannings, Drew Brees, Tom Brady…

          • Because they aren’t running Sark’s 120 play a game offense. At that pace, Sarks offense will make mistakes, like missed hand offs, and Sark’s QB will need to improvise with speed and quickness – downfield or out of bounds. Lets face it Helen, Pac 12 defenses are as fast or faster than Pac 12 offenses. I paraphrase Tommy Lasorda: running 90 – 120 plays ain’t that #$#$# easy.

          • I actually sensed some good points in that pile, but again got confused. Can you please write a complete paragraph for once? (serious.) Is it so hard to spell U-S-C?

            If you’re going to spend 1/2 of your life here, might as well get it right or make your posts comprehendible to those who speak the english language.

    • Moran’s “Weeeee ruuuuuun this toooooown” rant didn’t quite make the recruiting impact you would’ve expected Shart Bucket? Going 1 for 8 on NSD. No shame in that at all! Onwards and upwards!

      • Hey Scsyco, let us not forget SUCC’s glorious “Unfinished Bidness,” season. Lar Dog, projecting Segarin Data, predicted SUCC would go undefeated and win the 2012 FB NC. Barkely couldn’t help but win the Heisman, and SUCC’s 2012 recruited FB class was top ten. Didn’t El Sombrero say “sanctions, what sanctions.” I ask you Scsyco, how did SUCC’s 2012 “Unfinished Bidness,” season turn out? No mumbling allowed Scsyco, and stay on point. SUCC’s FB fantasy helium balloon peters out.

        • A troll urging somebody to stay on point – that’s more than a bit ironic.

        • “Unfinished Bidness,” (twice?) would only be applicable during a session of a duplicate bridge tournament. “Segarin” ? Do you have this confused with Segrams 7?

          You forgot to mention my prediction that our basketball team should be a lock for the final four. Missed on that one too, I suppose. A word to the wise (present company accepted) about Psycho. The guy is a maniac. I have seen him on numerous occasions at the Gray Lady…not to mention all of his TV appearances flashing his personalized California SC plate for the past 15+ years. If you ever encounter him, run, not walk away else he will tear your inarticulate bod a new one. Even Wolf pales at the mere mention of his name. Just a friendly warning ol’ pal.
          Lar Dog

          • Bidness is Tixian for Business Lar Dog. Remember the 2012 Sun Bowl, Lar Dog, SUCC lost a Bowl FB game to a Sub .500 Georgia Tech team 21 – 7. I quit drinking 24 years ago so I don’t do the bar scene. But thanx for the warning.

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